IAB board appoints Vanya Mariani as chair, replacing Matt Rowley

IAB Australia has appointed Vanya Mariani, commercial director - media (sales and customer solutions) for Carsales as chair of the board. Andrew Brain, director of data and growth at Seven West Media, has been appointed deputy chair.

Rebecca Costello will also join the IAB Board as the new representative for The Guardian, while Suzie Cardwell joins as Nine's representative.

Mariani was previously deputy chair, and succeeds Matt Rowley, who stepped down from the IAB board following his departure from Pedestrian Media.

Mariani oversees all sales and customer solutions activity for carsales.com and has worked with the site for more than 14 years.

“It has been a pleasure to be co-chair of the IAB alongside Matt Rowley over the last 18 months, and I feel privileged to take the reins of chair officially," Mariani said.

"It’s a transformational period for our industry and with that comes incredible opportunity to raise the bar on how we all operate.

"The IAB is committed to supporting the digital ecosystem on several key areas. Our vision is clear, and we have a wonderful team of experts that executes with excellence.”

As chair, Mariani will work closely with IAB Australia CEO, Gai Le Roy, on several initiatives including helping the industry in relation to ad effectiveness, audience measurement, finding ways to reduce industry carbon emissions, and helping all sectors to navigate changes in data usage and privacy obligations.

Le Roy said: “I would like to thank Matt for being an incredible chair and ambassador for the digital advertising industry. During his tenure, the IAB in Australia has continued to significantly expand membership, roll out a new audience ratings currency, play a major role in industry policy areas and helped drive deeper connections across the industry.

"I am looking forward to working closely with Vanya, a passionate and positive industry leader representing an innovative and successful Australian business, who will help lead the board and identify important initiatives for the digital advertising industry.”